The Lavender Threat

THE LAVENDER THREAT

The term ‘lavender’ was recorded as a synonym for ‘homosexual’ by Gershon Legman in The Language of Homosexuality: An American Glossary in 1941. Few history books discuss this other group deemed a “threat” to U.S. security during the Cold War-- homosexuals. While Mallon’s novel, hence the opera, is set in the early years of this period, in reality, the Lavender Scare lasted over twenty years.

1962 Sunday Mirror column on “how to spot a homosexual”

Historically in the Western world, homosexuality was considered socially abnormal and deviant, justified by medico-legal, pseudo-psychological studies, and religious texts/ideology. Even as the expression of it became more socially acceptable in urban centers, the Diagnostic Statistical Manual, used by psychiatric professionals to diagnose mental disorders, added homosexuality as a psychological disorder in 1952, and did not remove it until 1973. The dominant justifications for persecution during the Lavender Scare, was that homosexuals lacked “moral fiber” and could “cripple a whole government office,” and that due to their social deviance, they were subject to blackmail and therefore a national security risk. Political leaders claimed this “sexual perversion” weakened the image of strength of the United States in the face of Communism. In 1947, after an uptick in sexual crimes in cities, the U.S. Park Police began a “Pervert Elimination Campaign” in D.C. parks frequented by gay men, resulting in intimidation and violent attacks. In 1953, President Eisenhower signed Executive Order 10450, calling all homosexuals a security risk and banning them from Federal employment.

Senator Joseph McCarthy and his colleague Roy Cohn were mainly responsible for firing or blackmailing gay men in current Federal jobs. The Committee on Expenditures in Executive Departments, founded in 1950 headed by Senator Hoey, chaired the investigations into suspected homosexuality and issued a report in 1953, aligning all of the government’s intelligence agencies as, “in complete agreement that sex perverts in government constitute security risks.” The methods by which they made accusations of

homosexuality were determined through a series of humiliating “tests,” such as how one walked.

Senator McCarthy viewed both Communists and homosexuals as godless, secretive, and undermining the traditional Christian, family values that pervaded the 1950s. “The American Family” (mother, father and kids as an autonomous unit) was embraced after the destruction of World War II, and churches saw the highest attendance in the country’s history. McCarthy himself was a devout Roman Catholic- -just like the character of Timothy and other Irish Catholic immigrants who came to America at the turn of the 20th century. The Church condemned same-sex activities, and many men struggled with the commitment to their religion and their sexuality. As the Communist threat and religious values grewin influence, the government made being gay in public nearly impossible. If someone was accused, almost all interrogations ended in a confession, firing, or resignation--regardless of the underlying truth. The persistent and pervasive fear of this looming threat against the United States, and all the democratic values it holds dear, allowed the Lavender Scare to take hold and last for over two decades. Even half a century later, discrimination against LGBTQ+ people serving in the Federal government and military branches continues in different forms today.

Want to learn more? There’s a movie. www.thelavenderscare.com

Have you ever had to address conflicting inner beliefs such as Timothy does between his faith and love for Hawkins?